We Were Always Different
by Marie The Crocheter
Summary: My first Zelda fic ever... This was inspired after I awakened Saria as a sage. (Though it's not just about her anymore...) The events of OoT through the eyes of many main characters.
1. Saria

(A/N: This is my first Zelda fic, ever.... so go easy on me. I don't even own a copy of Ocarina of Time yet, but I rented it. (Thus, I haven't beaten it yet, heh...) This is really just a fic I wrote spur of the moment, after awakening Saria as a sage... It's all written from Saria's POV. I guess I'm kind of a Link/Saria shipper, even though I know they couldn't work out unless Saria grew up, heh... Anyway, here goes...)

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I wrapped both my small hands around the flower, trying to uproot it with all my strength. _Come on,_ I thought, _You're ready to pick, and you would make a great decoration. Plus, you're not the only flower of this type in the patch, so I know you're safe to pick._

"Having trouble, Saria?" a voice asked behind me. I turned around to see my best friend, Link, standing beside me. He helped me pull the giant flower from the ground. "What do you need that for?"

"Decorating the house, of course!" my fairy spoke up before I could. "It gets boring looking at the same things all the time. Saria needs a better sense of fash— I mean" my fairy trailed off while I glared at him, "Saria just needed to, uh, spruce things up!"

"Yeah, that's right." I sighed. My fairy could be pretty annoying sometimes, but since I was a Kokiri, I had to have one. That was the rule. Every Kokiri had to have his or her own fairy, to make sure that they didn't get in trouble and never left the forest. Of course, I don't think too many Kokiri had ever left the forest. The great Deku Tree had told us that if we left, we would die. The outside world was not equipped to handle us, and thus had banished our race to the forest.

Why we had to be so different from normal Hylians, I didn't know. I once asked the Deku Tree about that, but he said that it was not something our young minds could comprehend. It was better kept a secret. Just like the strange green medallion I always wore around my neck. A secret.

"House decorating?" Link made a face. "Why are girls so obsessed with that?"

"Because we're special," I couldn't help but grin. 

"It's boring!" my fairy whined. "I'm just trying to hurry her up so that we can play later."

Link laughed, though I saw he looked a little pained. I knew why. For some odd reason, the Deku Tree had never assigned a fairy to Link. Once again, the Deku Tree had said it was something that our minds could not comprehend. Even so, most of the Kokiri accepted Link as one of our own. Everyone but the self-proclaimed leader, Mido

Link, my fairy, and I went to my house, where Link helped me re-arrange things and find a place for the flower. We were still working when a knock came from outside my door. "Yo! Saria! You home?"

I gritted my teeth. "I'm a little busy, Mido. Come back later."

"Huh?" Mido walked in. "Redoing things in your house?! You should have told me! I would have helped!"

Link shook his head. "Mido, when you say you're going to help her all you do is make someone else do the work for her."

"But that's still helping, isn't it, Mr. No-Fairy?"

"Not really," I muttered.

"I wasn't asking you!" Mido nearly snapped. "Mr. No-Fairy, that's still helping, eh?"

"No it isn't, you lazy bum," Link retorted. 

"Lazy bum?! ME?! You don't know what you're saying, kid!"

"Shut up!" Link growled. "Leave us alone. We're busy."

"Hmph. Very well. See you later, Saria." Mido left without saying goodbye to Link.

I sighed. "I wonder why he doesn't like you," I wondered aloud. "I mean, we're all of the same race and have to live with each other anyway, so why can't we all get along?"

"But I don't have a fairy," Link pointed out. "I wonder why the Deku Tree won't let me have one."

"There must be some reason, Link. A good one," I assured him. "You're not like any other Kokiri, you know."

"That's just because I don't have a fairy," Link grumbled. 

"No, more than that," I told him. "You're special, I just don't know why. Or how."

After we were done re-arranging my house, Link, my fairy, and I spent some time playing in the Sacred Meadow. That was our very favorite place, though few other Kokiri dared go there. It was in the Lost Woods, where, of course, it was very easy to get lost! If a Kokiri was lost for too long, he or she might become a Skull Kid, which was a rather frightening thought

Link soon went home, though. He was tired. I noted that it looked as though he hadn't been sleeping well of late. Nightmares, maybe? He never spoke about it

I wandered out of the Lost Woods and went to the Deku Tree, where I stayed for awhile, playing my favorite song on my ocarina. To my surprise, the Deku Tree wanted to talk to me.

"A great change is about to befall the forest," he said. "My time hath run short."

"Huh?" I asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I man from the desert hath put a curse upon me," he explained. "The forest is in much danger."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Why?!"

"It is something too much for thou's young mind to comprehend – at the moment," the tree explained. "One of thou's friends shall soon be leaving the forest."

My jaw dropped. "What?! But we can't leave the forest; we'll die!"

"Ah, but one of you is different. If you leave the forest, thou wilt not wither away, but thou will not be accepted by most outsiders, so it is much better to stay here, where thou is safe and has a place to stay."

"Who's leaving?" I asked. 

"I cannot tell thee. You shall find out soon."

I went home soon after. _Someone's leaving the forest? _I thought in awe. _Who? And why?_

My question was answered a few days later

I ran up to Link's house, with the intention of waking him up, as we had plans to play in the forest that day, and reached the ladder of his tree-house when I realized that he was already coming down. "Hey, Link!" I called. "You're up early!"

"Saria? Saria!!" Link jumped down, missing a few rungs, "Guess what?! I got a fairy now!!!"

My eyes widened when I say the winged blue ball with Link. "All right!!" I exclaimed, hugging him. "Link! You're a true Kokiri now!"

"And guess what else? The Deku Tree summoned me!"

I felt a pang at my heart, remembering what the Deku Tree had told me. _Oh no, _I thought, _The one leaving the forest couldn't be _Link_, could it?!_ "That's great! I'll see you later, OK?"

"OK!" Link ran off. Mido, however, wouldn't let him through. Link had to go find the Kokiri Sword and buy a Deku Shield in order to get to the Deku Tree. 

Hours passed. Link came back, covered with some kind of sticky goo. I made a face. "Link, what the?"

"I had to fight this scorpian-like thing named Gohma," Link explained. "I broke the curse and the Deku Tree gave me this," he held out a beautiful green jewel, "But I'm afraid"

"LINK!!!!" Mido came running up, fuming angry. "HOW COULD YOU, YOU HORRIBLE TRAITOR!! You might have a fairy, BUT YOU'RE NOT A KOKIRI, AND NEVER WILL BE!!!"

"MIDO!" I shouted, "Be quiet! Link did nothing wrong!"

Link shuffled his feet at this, looking nervous.

"HE KILLED THE DEKU TREE!" Mido screeched. "The Deku Tree is DEAD! Because of HIM!"

"No!" I gasped, looking at Link. "Link"

"I'm sorry." Link was near tears. "But just before he died, he told me he was already doomed! I just helped him to have a less painful passing."

"LIAR!" Mido yelled again. "I'm in charge of the forest now! And you're BANISHED!!"

Everyone within earshot gasped. Banished?! Mido couldn't do that!! Link would die

But Link didn't seem afraid by this. "Actually, the Deku Tree told me to leave," he said proudly. "I'm destined to be a great hero of Hyrule! I have to go to meet the Princess of Destiny', whoever that is"

My eyes widened. "Link" I gasped, "You're really going?"

I gulped. "Link when you're ready, meet me on the bridge to Hyrule Field. No one follow me!" I commanded the rest of the Kokiri.

I waited until Link met up with me, armed with all kinds of weapons and such. "Saria I'm sorry about the Deku Tree"

"That's OK, I know he was cursed by a man from the desert. He told me that a few days ago."

"He did?"

"Yes. He knew he didn't have much time left. He also told me that one of the Kokiri was going to have to leave I didn't think it would be you"

Link sheathed his sword and attached his shield to something on his back, before taking both my hands in his. "Saria You knew? The Deku Tree told you?"

I nodded. "He said that the forest was in danger. I, I'm scared"

"Don't be. I'm going to Hyrule to make everything right again." He smiled. "When I come back, we'll play and live just as we always did before!"

I smiled, though I was blinking back tears. I wanted to go with him. I wanted to travel across Hyrule and see new and strange places. But most of all, I wanted to be with him. Link and I were best friends No, we were more than that. We had a more mutual understanding. But we were children. And we would forever be children. "Link, take this," I whispered, giving him my favorite ocarina. "If you play my song, we can talk to each other. Always."

"Oh, Saria, thank you!" Link hugged me. "I'll treasure this forever, I promise."

"Take care of yourself, Link." We hugged again and then he ran off, waving goodbye.

He did a good job communicating with me for awhile. He told me where he was, what he was doing He was in Hyrule Field, running toward Castle Town then he was in the market, trying to help a girl named Malon find her father He told me about the "grown-ups" – people who were much bigger than us and were always the ones in charge He told me about meeting the princess, meeting the Gorons, and the Zoras, and his quests for the Goron's Ruby and Zora's Sapphire

"I'm on my way to the Temple of Time," Link told me one day, via the ocarina. "I'm going to take the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf forever!! I'll come right back when I do, OK?"

"OK," I told him. "I can't wait to see you again, Link!!"

"Me, too!!!!! Bye!"

That was the last I heard from him for a long, long time

I don't know how long it was. I waited every day by the bridge, expecting to see him running in from Hyrule Field, happy and breathless, but each day I saw the same thing: nothing. Nothing at all. Then, weird things started happening. The sky grew perpetually dark. Monsters started popping up everywhere. Frantic, one day I went to the Sacred Meadow and got trapped within the Forest Temple! There was nothing I could do, but cry and hope someone would save me.

One day, I sensed someone had played my song on their ocarina. "Saria," a voice, a strange, rather deep-sounding voice I didn't recognize, called from it. "Saria? Are you still there?"

"Huh?" I asked. "Who are you?"

A pause. "You don't recognize me?"

"N, no Who are you?"

"Link," came the answer. "I've gotten Big, somehow Saria, I've been told a girl is trapped in the Forest Temple. Do you know who it is?"

I gasped. "It's me!!" I exclaimed. "Link, come save me, please!!"

"Will do," Link chuckled.

Some time passed, and Link did indeed free me from the temple. "What happened to you?" I gasped, seeing him again. He was still wearing a green tunic and cap and Kokiri boots, and still had Navi by his side. But he was wearing white leggings and a white undershirt, as well as brown gloves. I also noticed that his ears were pierced. 

"I'm not sure. I slept in the Temple of Time for seven years; that's why I never spoke to you," he explained. "And I got big somehow"

It suddenly hit me. Like the sun shining its first rays of light down from the forest foliage. "Link. I know why. You're not truly a Kokiri. You must be Hylian!"

Link furrowed his brows. "Why would you say that?"

"Kokiri never grow up. But Hylians do. You must really be a Hylian," I whispered. "That's why you were so different. You somehow got placed with us when you were a very small child. You were always braver and stronger than the others. You truly were different."

"Saria I have news about you, too. You know that medallion you have?"

I touched it, on a chain around my neck. "Yes?"

"It means you're a sage. The rightful – and wise – ruler of the forest. Only with your help can we defeat Ganondorf."

I was shocked. "Me?! A sage?! That can't be"

"It's true, Saria. We need you to come to the sacred realm." He held out his hand. "Are you coming?"

I nodded. We both warped there, and he took my medallion. He also gave me back my ocarina.

I waited, and waited One by one the other sages appeared, and we knew we had a job to do. Help defeat Ganondorf.

Still, I wasn't worried

I knew that with Link's help We could do anything. 

Anything at all.


	2. Darunia

(I decided to continue this fic, in the POV of every sage and several other characters. Sure,it's been done before, but I wrote it because I wanted to. :P)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. So don't sue me!

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Chapter 2: Darunia

The sun beat down on the summits of Death Mountain, radiating its wonderful gentle heat. There were only a few wispy clouds in the sky, and down at the foot of the mountain, the village seemed peaceful.

How could things go so terribly wrong in such a wonderful setting?!

It was the question that all us Gorons were pondering. Just days ago, a man from the desert had paid us a visit. I knew right away that he did not come in peace. He was dressed mostly in black, and the greedy fire in his beady brown eyes was so great it seemed to be reflected in the flaming red hair on his head. He had asked about our treasure, the beautiful Goron's Ruby, and had asked me if he could take it.

I told him no. This stone had special meaning to all us Gorons, we could not possibly let the man take it. He said that was fine. He'd just wait until we were all gone and then take it for himself. I questioned him on what he meant. "You'll see," was all he said. You'll see. What kind of an answer is that?!

Well, soon enough, we DID see. That man blocked Dodongo's Cavern with a giant rock. The cavern! The best source of those delicious rocks!! We'd starve without the cavern!! The monster!!

I had been brooding on this for several days, when he appeared The young one who would save us all

I was in my room, thinking and sulking, as usual, when I heard the song of the Royal Family's song being played outside my door. The Royal Family's song!! The king had finally sent someone to help us!

King Harkinian and I were Sworn Brothers. We were close friends, and promised to help each other in our times of need. I had been there when the king's wife died, years ago, just after the birth of their adorable little daughter, Princess Zelda. Ever since the queen's death, however, the king had just never been the same. He rarely visited. Princess Zelda did once in a while, with her caretaker, some frightening-looking Sheikah woman whose name I can't remember. But the king was rarely with them.

I hastily opened the door, ready to welcome my Sworn Brother or the one sent by him. Instead, there stood a young boy dressed in green!!

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Who on earth are you?"

"My name's Link," the boy said. "I, um, I come from Princess Zelda, who is asking for the Goron's Ruby"

I frowned. "Sorry. I don't believe you, Link. That Gerudo man was just in here a few days ago. He's been causing bad problems. I can't let you take the ruby."

Link's eyes went wide. "A Gerudo man? The scary-looking man with black armor?"

I nodded. "He sealed up the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern! Without the nutritious rocks from the cave, we Gorons are doomed to die of starvation. It's just a matter of time now Go away, kid, there's nothing you can do." I turned away.

I'm not sure what drove the boy to do what he did next. The fact that I seemed to depressed and badly needed cheering up? Or was it something else? He pulled an ocarina out of his pocket and started to play a very upbeat song. I loved it! I couldn't help but dance around some. Just like that, my depression was cured!

Once he was done with the song, I laughed. A real, actual laugh. Something I hadn't been able to pull off for days. "Say, kid," I commented, "That's a nice song you've got there."

"Thanks," he said, "My best friend, Saria, made it up."

"Anything else I can do for you?" I asked.

"Well what's wrong with the cavern? I can try to go there and fix it for you if you want me to," he told me.

My eyes went wide. This kid?! Re-open Dodongo's Cavern?! It didn't seem possible "Sorry, Link, I don't think I can let you do that. It's too dangerous for a child."

But Link shook his head. "I've already had to find the treasured sword of the forest," motioning to the sword attached to the sheath on his back, "and I've also had to defeat monsters inside a giant tree, including this one HUGE spider-looking thingy, and I sneaked into the castle to see Princess ZeldaI think I can help you out too!" he boasted.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "You're up to that?"

"Yeah, of course!"

I gave him a pat on the back, which nearly knocked the little boy down. "Go for it! And I promise," I added, "If you can unseal the cave and defeat the King Dodongo, I will give you the Goron's Ruby. Oh, take this," I handed him a golden bracelet, "This bracelet will let you handle the Goron's special crop'."

"Special crop?" the boy asked, putting it on.

"Bomb flowers," I told him. "Once you pick one up, it will ignite."

Link's eyes widened in awe. "Really?! Cool! That should be useful!"

I smiled. "Be on your way, boy," I told him. "Oh, by the way, you introduced yourself, but I forgot to tell you my name, didn't I? I'm Darunia, the leader of the Gorons."

"Pleased to meet you." Link stuck out his hand, and I shook it. I noted that the little boy winced. Oops. I was probably grasping his hand a little too tightly

Link left for Dodongo's Cavern. I waited outdoors, wondering if that little boy could really defeat King Dodongo or not. He had no trouble breaking the boulder in front of the cavern with our special crop'. Of course!! Why hadn't I thought of that?!

Soon after, the volcano erupted. Not a big eruption, mind you. Just enough to replace the sickly-looking clouds around Death Mountain with healthier, more attractive clouds.

That meant

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That kid had defeated King Dodongo!

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Link wandered out of the cavern, beginning his ascent up the mountain, back to our city. I grabbed the Goron's Ruby and jumped down behind him. "Well done, Link!" I exclaimed, slapping on the back. Not only did that knock him down, I think it knocked the wind right out of him too. Oops. I guess I need to be a little more careful in my dealings with young Hylians

I helped him up. "Sorry about that," I apologized. "We Gorons don't really know our own strength"

"No problem," Link mumbled, rubbing his back. "It's worth it to know I helped you guys out."

"Yes, indeed, we shall be forever grateful to you for saving our race. Take this!" I handed him the Goron's Ruby. "It's the least I can do for you now, brother! Speaking of which How would you like to be my Sworn Brother?!"

Link blinked. I had a feeling that he didn't know what I was talking about. But still, he accepted. I invited him to stay at Goron City for awhile, but he declined. Said he needed to rush back to the castle and talk to the princess, though he promised he'd come back later.

__

Later, ha He wasn't kidding!!

The kid took so long, trouble started brewing around our fair city again

The evil Gerudo man decided to pick on our race. I don't know why. For some reason I think he doesn't like the Gorons too much First he tried to starve us to death, now he was going to feed us to the legendary fire dragon, Volvagia!

The evil king and his group of women (all women, no other men at all, yipes!!) raided Goron City, taking more and more captives each time. He took all the captives to the Fire Temple, Volvagia's hideout.

During one of the raids, he took a Goron couple but left their young, unnamed son behind. I took him in to raise as my own, and gave him the only worthy name I could think of Link!

One day, I just couldn't take it any more. Goron City was almost completely empty. I told Link to stay behind while I went in search of the legendary treasure, the Megaton Hammer, to defeat Volvagia.

I hadn't been in the temple long, when I noted that someone had followed me. It was a young man dressed in a red Goron Tunic. The man was tall, handsome, with longish blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. I could have recognized him by those features alone, but the style of his tunic and his cap were what really gave him away

It was Link!!

"Brother!" I exclaimed. "Glad to see you're here!"

Link nodded in response. "I went to Goron City and met your son," he said. "Where is the Megaton Hammer located?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I'm looking for it."

"I'll search too," Link promised.

Naturally, Link was the one who found it, and also was the one to defeat Volvagia. That boy!! He was a true hero, through and through!

After he defeated Volvagia, we hastened back to Goron City. Everyone was back, safe and sound. Still, though, Link didn't look too satisfied.

"Anything I can do for you?" I asked the Hylian lad.

"I actually came here to look for the sage of fire," he explained. "But I don't know"

"who it is," I finished for him. "I'm sorry, brother. I don't know, either."

We spoke for a little while longer. I noticed that Link was looking intently around my room. I was about to ask him if he wanted something, when his eyes locked onto the medallion I kept in a stand on top of a statue of one of my ancestors. "Darunia," he asked, pointing to the medallion, "Where did you get that red medallion from?"

"I don't know," I answered. "I've had it Well, I've had it as long as I can remember."

"May I see it?"

"Certainly." I took the medallion down and handed it to him. Link studied it.

"It's yours, right?" Link asked again. I nodded. "Darunia, brother This medallion has the same symbol as the platform outside the Temple of Fire. It means that _you_, brother, are the Sage of Fire!!"

I gaped, open-mouthed, at the medallion in Link's hands. "Me?! For real? Wow, I wasn't expecting that!"

"We need to the Chamber of the Sages, where you will meet some others. The Sage of Light and the Sage of the Forest."

"I thought there were more sages than that"

"There are," Link mumbled, "I just haven't found them yet."

"Oh."

Link took me to the Chamber of the Sages, where I waited, along with the other two there, for the remaining three to arrive.

It felt good, waiting. We were going to defeat that scum, the king of the Gerudo, who had tried to kill off all the Gorons twice. 

Evil will never prevail!


	3. Ruto

(The last chapter and this one were kind of written in a rush, sorry. Saria, Impa, and Nabooru are my favorite sages, so, naturally, their chapters will be the best.)

Disclaimer: See chapter 2! (Yup, I forgot it in chapter 1, my bad...)

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Chapter 3: Ruto

"Come here you stupid fish it's not my fault that the shopkeeper is out of fishing line AHA!! Darn!" My bottle was empty. I glared at the fish I was chasing. "Think you're so smart, eh?! I'll get you yet!" I lunged at the fish, bottle first. I came down much too hard, though, and accidently broke the bottle. "Ooh no!"

The Zora at the entrance of the fishing pool chuckled. "Break another bottle, Princess Ruto?"

"Yeah," I answered sheepishly. "Can you clean it up while I get another one?"

"Certainly." The Zora did so while I ran to the shop, and asked for another bottle. I didn't have to pay for it. I never had to pay for anything in the shops. That's because I am Ruto, Princess Ruto to be exact, the daughter of the King Zora and future ruler of Zora's Domain!

It was my job to feed Lord Jabu-Jabu, the giant whale who lived in the fountain near our domain. I didn't know why a member of the royal family had to feed him, but since my mother had passed away just two years ago, feeding Lord Jabu-Jabu had been my responsibility. 

Lately, though, Lord Jabu-Jabu had been acting rather odd. Yesterday he even swallowed me along with the fish, though I managed to get out. That was so scary, not to mention gross!! My mother had long ago given me a mysterious medallion and a beautiful sapphire to wear around my neck. I had been afraid that the sapphire would fall off the chain when Lord Jabu-Jabu sucked me up, but it didn't. I couldn't stand to lose one of my mother's treasures.

My mother said that the sapphire and medallion were very valuable, and told me that I should never lose either of them. I must keep them with me at all times. I could only give the sapphire to the man I would marry someday. My mother called the sapphire the "Zora Engagement Stone," though, to everyone else, it was simply the "Zora's Sapphire".

I managed to catch a fish and went to Lord Jabu-Jabu to feed him again. I dropped the fish in front of him. "Here you are," I said, "Your dinner!"

Lord Jabu-Jabu opened his mouth and sucked up the fish and me, too!!

"Argh!" I exclaimed, "That wasn't supposed to happen!" Being inside a whale, was, well Gross. No other way to put it. 

I tried to exit the same way I had yesterday, when I realized something

My neck. It felt lighter. Like one of my treasures was gone.

Uh-oh

I looked down, studying my necklaces. The medallion was still there. That's good. But the sapphire it was gone!!

Uh-oh That's not good

It must have come off when Jabu-Jabu swallowed me, meaning it was somewhere in here. I searched and searched, but found nothing. 

I had kept a scrap of paper with me, along with a pencil. I wrote a note asking for help, adding that the finder of the note should NOT tell my father I was in trouble. Daddy would worry too much. I sealed the note inside the bottle and Jabu-Jabu expelled it

Soon, someone did indeed some to save me. But he wasn't even a Zora!! He was a Hylian! A Hylian boy dressed in a green tunic who had a little blue fairy with him. He wanted to help me search for the sapphire. At first, I said I didn't need his help. But, soon I came to realize that I did need some help in finding the sapphire, as I was unable to fight off any of the monsters who were inside Jabu-Jabu. This Hylian boy had both a sword and a shield, as well as a few other weapons. Together, we found the sapphire and also escaped from Jabu-Jabu. 

The boy actually grew on me His name was Link. He never spoke much, but I soon found him to be a very caring guy. He threw himself into harm's way just for me! Tee hee. I would like a husband like that

Once we were outside of Lord Jabu-Jabu, Link told me that he needed the Zora's Sapphire. It was the last of the stones needed to open the Door of Time, he said. So I gave it to him. But, I told him that by giving it to him, we were betrothed. Link would have to marry me someday! Link didn't look too convinced at this; I'm not even sure he knew what betrothed meant But he accepted it.

After that I DIDN'T SEE HIM FOR SEVEN YEARS! What kind of man keeps his fiancée waiting for seven years?! I'm sure Link didn't mean it; he must have had a reason. But Zora's Domain fell into terrible circumstances soon after he left. The evil Gerudo king, Ganondorf, placed a curse on us for some unknown reason. Zora's Domain froze over. We were all trapped under a thick layer of ice! We could still live normally, but we were unable to get out of the freezing cold water. Many Zoras couldn't handle the cold, and died off

One day, though, a mysterious young Sheikah man (or, at least I _thought_ he was a man at the time) managed to break a hold in the ice, and saved me. Just me, though. He/she told me to go to the Water Temple in Lake Hylia. So I did. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but soon, I met up with LINK!! After seven long years!! Ooh, he was so handsome I thought I would melt when I saw him again. I love him. I love him so much. I don't think he feels the same way about me, but, oh, I could never have asked for a better husband. 

I told him what I knew about the temple, and he promised to find the source of the ice covering Zora's Domain. He told me to stay back, though. It's pretty dangerous. So I waited at the entrance of the temple until he came back.

He defeated the monster. Zora's Domain returned to normal. Link, however told me I was not to return there. Not yet, anyway. 

"What do you mean? Why??" I demanded.

"Ruto, do you have any idea what that medallion around your neck means?"

"Uh, no"

"It means you're a Sage. The Sage of Water. We need your help getting Ganondorf out of our world."

Link took me to the Chamber of the Sages, where I gave him the medallion. "Think of it as a token of my love, future husband," I smiled at him. Link blushed. 

"Um, you haven't forgotten, have you?" he mumbled.

A little green-haired girl, the Forest Sage, stared at us. "Link? What is she talking about??"

"Nothing, Saria Nevermind"

I couldn't hide a smile. "You no longer have the sapphire, do you?" I asked Link. He shook his head. "Link I'll always love you, but I have a feeling your heart belongs to another. I won't stand in your way. By the way" my smile widened, knowing just what girl he had his sights set on, "I'm sure that Princess Zelda is fine"

Link blushed again, mumbled something, and left. Saria stared at me wide-eyed.

"You and Link were engaged?!" she asked. 

"Sort of. A long time ago" I told her the story of how we were trapped in Jabu-Jabu.

"You like Link too?" Saria was blushing a little. "So do I I always have"

The Sage of Fire, Darunia, chuckled. "I have a feeling you two girls aren't the only ones!" he exclaimed.

Saria and I looked at each other with sheepish grins. "Link's a very strong man," I said, "I can't wait until we defeat Ganondorf and everything gets back to normal"

"You won't have to wait long," Rauru, the overweight Sage of Light, assured me. "Link has two more sages to awaken. That's all."

"Just two?" Darunia licked his lips. "Victory's so close, I can almost taste it!"


	4. Nabooru

Chapter 4: Nabooru

I sat back, looking out over the desert from my perch at the top of the Gerudo's Fortress. The wind blew through my hair, whipping it in every direction and covering my eyes. _Dang ponytail,_ I grumbled to myself, trying to hold it back, _I hate putting my hair in a ponytail. I should just braid it or something!_

"Never-ending battle, isn't it?" I heard an amused voice behind me. I whirled around to see Aveil, a snooty young woman who was one of King Ganondorf's favorite warriors. "Only a true wimp like yourself would lose a battle with your own hair!"

I sighed loudly. "Can't you leave me any bit of peace?" I asked. "I'm up here to meditate."

"On what?"

"How much of a jerk you are." I had to cover my mouth with my hand to hide my smile. Aveil looked ready to explode.

"Oh, is that it, huh?! Well," she looked smug again, "Guess who the great King Ganondorf chose to lead the group of settlers to Termina?"

"Who?" I asked, though I was sure that she was referring to herself.

Aveil grinned. "Me, who else?!"

"Of course. Since it's by the sea, he needed someone with such a huge ego that the ship could be powered with that and nothing else," was my wry comment.

Aveil scowled. "You're just jealous, Nabooru. Jealous because you weren't chosen to go to Termina."

I shook my head. "No I'm not. I—" I was cut off, by cries down below us.

"Victory!! King Ganondorf's overthrown King Harkinian!" 

Aveil and I raced to the edge of the roof, and, of course, Aveil pushed me right off, so that I landed in the soft sand twenty or so feet below us. "AVEIL!!"

I heard her laugh. "Be thankful we weren't any higher, Nabby!"

Another woman, Kara, helped me back to my feet. "That Aveil," Kara muttered, "She's been acting like a total jerk lately, just because King Ganondorf chose her"

"What was the news?" I asked. "What was that about King Harkinian?"

Kara grinned. "King Ganondorf has overthrown Harkinian and taken over Castle Town! Not only that, Princess Zelda and her Sheikah caretaker fled during the battle, so they're gone, too! Ganondorf's the king, not just of the Gerudo, but of ALL of Hyrule!"

My eyes widened. "Is that good or bad?!"

Kara gave me a funny look. "Good, of course! What are you talking about?!"

I lowered my voice. "_You_ know," I whispered, "Ganondorf is a bit more cruel than is usual"

"Oh, that. Don't worry. Those Hylians deserve it after the way they've treated us!" Kara had a fierce look in her face, a look I didn't like.

I sighed. I didn't know why, but I really hated Ganondorf. He just gave me the creeps It was kind of hard to explain

"I'm going to the Spirit Temple," I told Kara. "If anyone asks why, just set Aveil on them."

Kara laughed. "Sure thing, Nabooru."

I ran out of the fortress and across the Haunted Wasteland, allowing myself to gloat a little over the fact that I was probably the only person on the whole planet who didn't need a Lens of Truth to find my way across the desert, and ended up at my sole place of refuge the Spirit Temple. 

I wasn't sure just who the temple was dedicated to. In it were all kinds of statues of women, so I knew that it had been built by Gerudos. My own ancestors, maybe. Not only that, they had also decorated the temple with cobra statues and these odd spiral carvings all over the wall.

I could understand why the statues were there, since this was a desert, after all. But the carvings? What were they supposed to represent? Wind? I didn't know.

Every single human-like carving was shaped like a female, which also didn't surprise me at all. The Gerudo was a race made almost solely of women. Somehow, even though we had to intermarry with other races, such as Hylian and human, Gerudo children always had the features of their mother, not father. Every hundred years or so, a man was born to a Gerudo woman, and that man would have to become our king when he came of age.

Right now, Ganondorf was the Gerudo king. Actually, now it sounded like he was the king of the entire kingdom of Hyrule. I closed my eyes, deeply pained. That was not right. Ganondorf was a horrible king. HORRIBLE! The Gerudo already had a bad reputation, what with being theives and all, but Ganondorf had really given us a bad name. Not only did he steal from innocent women and children, he also killed people to get what he wanted. I shuddered, wondering what had become of the young princess and her father. It sounded as though the princess had gotten away; that was good. But her father?

I knew what I had to do then. It might be a little too late, but I had to mess up Ganondorf's plans. He kept his treasures here in the Spirit Temple, locked away where no one could reach them. Little did he know This temple was my second home; I spent almost as much time here as I did at the fortress! However, I quickly realized that, though I could get into the temple, the two hallways leading from the entryway were blocked off by giant blocks. Much too big for me to move! I needed strength-giving Silver Gauntlets to move those

"Dangit," I muttered, staring through a crack in one of the blocks, "Someone small could fit through here"

I continued staring through the hole, finally crouching in front of it and tried to enter myself. I couldn't get much more than my head in, though. Darn those big, feminine hips of mine

"I can't get through here without getting stuck," I mused aloud. "I need a bomb or—"

__

Tap, tap, tap.

I froze in panic. A tapping noise? _Someone's come up behind me, _I thought. _Who would dare follow me?_

I whirled around, ready to scold my stalker

And dropped my jaw in awe instead.

It wasn't Aveil who had followed me. Or Kara. In fact, it wasn't a Gerudo at all.

It was a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed, boy, a _boy, _dressed in all green, with a sword and shield out and ready.

"Who-who are you?" I asked, cautiously. "What are you doing here?"

"My name's Link," the boy said. "And I'm here looking for someone"

I narrowed my eyes. "Odd name you have there, Link who are you looking for?"

"I, uh, don't really know," the boy admitted. "The Sage of Spirit I just don't know who he or she is."

I shook my head. "I don't know anyone like that, kid. By the way, my name's Nabooru."

"Nabooru?" the boy looked a little surprised. "You mean that exaulted Nabooru' everyone at the fortress was talking about?"

I laughed. "Exualted? Hardly. I'm a joke to most of my companions Wait a sec! How on earth did you get to the fortress?!"

Link blushed. "Um, I, uh, long story You really don't know anything about the Sage of Spirit?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, kid. Why is a kid like you looking for the sages, anyway?"

"Because, because" the boy trailed off. "Because of, um, Ganondorf"

My eyes widened. "Ganondorf?! Did he ask you to—"

"No! I, um, well"

I suddenly realized why the boy was so nervous talking to me. I am a Gerudo. Ganondorf is also a Gerudo. _Why do I have this feeling that he's looking for the sages so that they can defeat Ganondorf? I'd better tell him I'm a dissenter against him, too._

"Kid," I said, slowly, "Don't be afraid of me. I might be a Gerudo, yes, but I'm very opposed to what Ganondorf's doing. In fact, I came here to try to find a way to stop him."

Link looked relieved. "I'm here to stop him, too."

"First things first, kid." I motioned to the block next to us. "Think you can crawl into that hole here? I can't; I already tried. Somewhere in this temple are these special silver gauntlets that grant you extra strength. I need them so that I can move that block over there." I motioned across the room to the block that was blocking the other passageway. "The gauntlets won't fit you; you're too small, and they were made for a woman, anyway, so bring them back to me."

Link nodded. "Understood. I'll find them for you, Nabooru!" Link crawled into the hold and left.

While Link went to look for the gauntlets, I mulled around in the temple's entryway for awhile, then went outside. I stared up at the Collosus, the huge stone mesa the Spirit Temple had been carved in to. The Collosus itself was decorated by a huge stone statue of a woman. I noticed that on each of her hands was a treasure box.

Treasure boxes? That's weird. I'd never noticed those before. Did one of them contain the silver gauntlets?

As if to answer my question, Link suddenly ran from inside the temple onto one of the hands. He looked down, spotting me in the sands below. "Wow," he shouted, "This is pretty high!"

"Open that treasure chest!" I shouted. "See what's in it!"

"OK!" Link opened it and pulled something out. He held the contents up. "Nabooru! Are these the silver gauntlets?"

"YES!!" I exclaimed. "That's them! Take them down to me!"

"OK!" Link ran off.

I started to run back to the temple, but didn't quite make it

For then, _they_ appeared.

The two Gerudos who were closest in family to Ganondorf. 

The dreaded Twinrova, Koume and Kotake!

"Hold it right there!" Koume screeched. "What do you think you're doing, you disloyal little Gerudo?!"

"Little?" I glared down at the witch. "Who are you calling little?"

"Foolish girl," Kotake sniggered, "We need to teach you a lesson in loyalty."

I scowled. "And how are you going to do that, hmm??"

"Should we, sister?" Koume looked at Kotake, who nodded.

"Let's teach this girl a lesson!" They both raised their hands, engulfed me in a purple light

"NO!" I screamed as I was sucked into the sand. _They're going to brainwash me into thinking I'm a follower of Ganondorf!_ Just then, by the temple's entrance, I spotted a wide-eyed Link. "Link!" I called. "Get out of here, QUICK!!"

The Twinrova turned to see who I was talking to. "OH!!!" the both squealed, "What an ADORABLE little boy!"

I didn't have to look at Link to see the look of terror on his face.

"Koume!" Kotake exclaimed, "We must get that boy! He's so cute, I want to raise him as my son!"

"Forget it, sister," Koume replied, "But I want him as MY son!"

"I saw him first!"

"You did not!! I'm older, I should take him!"

"Shut up! I'm better with little boys!"

"How would you know?! The only male you've ever known is Ganondorf!"

"SAME WITH YOU!!"

While the twins argued, Link pulled out an ocarina, played a song and vanished in a flash of golden light. _Good! He got away!_ After that, everything went black

  
I'm not entirely sure what happened next. The Twinrova brainwashed me, and I worked in Ganondorf's service. I must have become a hardened thief; everyone left in Hyrule feared me. In fact, the only person in the whole kingdom with more power than me was Ganondorf! Well, that's what people have told me, anyway. Frankly, I'm glad I did not retain those memories. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I had.

The next thing I knew, I was crouched on the ground, dizzy, hurt, clad in heavy armor and wielding a very large axe. I had no idea where I was; I could only see a red carpet beneath me. I was panting, covered with sweat, with an odd feeling I had just done something wrong.

I heard a gasp in front of me, beckoning me to look up. So I did. Standing in front of me was a handsome young man, a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a green tunic, matching green cap, and also had white leggings, a white undershirt, brown gloves, and, and 

__

The silver gauntlets?!

I stared, a bit open-mouthed, as memories came flooding back to me. Going to the Spirit Temple Meeting that young boy, Link Sending him on his quest for the silver gauntlets getting kidnapped by the Twinrova

"Na, Nabooru?" he asked, with an expression that nearly matched mine. "Nabooru, is that you?"

I nodded, unable to speak.

"It's me, Link! Remember?" he asked, his sapphire eyes meeting my topaz. I had to quickly look away; his eyes were just so captivating

"I remember," I whispered. "Wha, what happened to me? Was I brainwashed?"

"Yeah," Link answered. "By the Twinrova, most probably. But it's alright, now. I must have broken their spell."

I just nodded. Link helped me to stand up, with the intention of helping me out of the temple.

"Not so fast!"

I froze, hearing that voice. Link did to.

"Where do you think you're taking her?!" Koume suddenly appeared in front of us, Kotake behind us. "How'd you break our spell?! Oh, well, I'm looking forward to brainwashing her again!" The Twinrova raised their hands

__

Oh, no! Not again!

I screamed as they warped me to some empty void, where they had brainwashed me before, I guess

I wasn't there very long before Link managed to warp me back to the Spirit Temple.

"Sorry about that," Link apologized sheepishly, "Those witches were determined!"

"That's alright, kid. Are they gone now?"

"Yeah. They shouldn't be causing any more trouble."

We stood in silence for a few moments when I noticed something. I always wore a medallion around my neck, though my mother had told me since I was young to hide it somewhere. I simply tucked in into my tube-top like shirt. Sometime during today's happenings, it had come out from under my shirt and was in plain sight. I quickly tucked it back in, forgetting that a boy was watching.

His eyes widened. "Uh, Nabooru? What was"

"What?" I quickly looked up. 

"That thing on the chain? What was it?"

"Nothing," I answered. He frowned. 

"Nabooru, please, tell me. What was that?"

"I, I don't know," I honestly admitted. "I've had it since I was a very small child."

"May I see it?"

I hesitated but decided to trust him. I pulled it out from my shirt and let him see it, though I kept it on the chain. His eyes widened.

"Nabooru I know what this is"

"What? You do?"

"Look at it. The spiral carving on it exactly matches the carvings all over the Spirit Temple."

"Yeah? So? My mother must have just found it when I was little. She gave it to me just before she died."

"Nabooru This is a medallion. The Spirit Medallion. It means that you're the Sage of Spirit!"

My jaw dropped. "What?!" I exclaimed. "ME?! A sage?! Yeah, right, kid!"

"I'm not kidding. There's no mistaking it. You're the Sage of Spirit."

I was shocked. After all these terrible things I must have done over the years I was a sage? Me, of all people?! Well, it did make some sense I was opposed to Ganondorf. I was the special focus of the Twinrova. _The Twinrova must have known that I'm a sage!_

I took the chain over my head for the first time in my life and gave the medallion (and chain) to Link. "Here," I said, "I guess you should take it, eh?"

Link nodded and accepted it. "Now to get you to the Chamber of Sages!" He pulled out his ocarina. "Hold on to me, OK?"

"All right." I glanced at one of his hands just before he started to play a song, and giggled when I noticed something. "Silver gauntlets too small for you?"

Link took the ocarina from his mouth and looked at his hands. "Uh, yeah," he admitted, a sheepish grin on his face. The gauntlets were tied onto the back of his hands. "I guess they were made for women, huh?"

"Yeah. But you can keep them. I suppose they've helped you out, eh?"

"Yeah. A lot!"

Link put the ocarina to his lips again, and played a song. Next thing I knew, we were in an odd dimension, on a platform with six different medallion-looking things. I noticed that one orange-colored one looked just like the medallion I had. That must be where I was supposed to stand

Four others were on the platform. There was an old, fat, balding man wearing a dress (?), a little green-haired girl wearing green clothes, a large rock-like creature with a spiky white beard, and some fish-woman _thing_.

The fish-woman clasped her hands (fins?) together and looked dreamily at Link. "Oh, Link! You came back with AH!! A GERUDO?!" She stared at me, wide-eyed with terror.

"It's alright," he motioned for me to stand on the Spirit Medallion looking thing. "She's a sage!"

I smiled. "That's right. I'm not one of Ganondorf's followers. I never was, until I was brainwashed. I am Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit!"

The old, fat man nodded. "The sages are of many different races," he said. "Hylian, Kokiri, Goron, Zora, Gerudo It doesn't matter to the goddesses. All that matters is that that person has a good heart and the right credentials to be a sage. Welcome, Sage of Spirit!"

I nodded in greeting. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"There's one more sage Link has to find," the man said. "After that, we'll be sealing Ganondorf in the Evil Realm."

I grinned. "Seal him up? That sounds great!" I turned to Link. "Hurry up and find that other sage, ki— I mean, Hero of Time! We've got a kingdom to save!" 


End file.
